Eknath Shinde 'withdraws' Maharashtra CM claim but 5 crucial questions yet to be answered

The impasse over government formation ended on Wednesday when Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief, Eknath Shinde, withdrew his claim for the next CM's post. A day earlier, he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and assured him that his party would not act as a speed breaker in the process of government formation. With Shinde’s withdrawal, the ball is now in the BJP’s court. Here are five pressing questions regarding the next government, whose answers are eagerly awaited:

1. Who will be BJP's face for CM?

Devendra Fadnavis, the prime strategist and the tallest BJP leader in Maharashtra, with strong backing from the RSS, is the frontrunner for the CM post. The general sentiment within the Mahayuti alliance supports him for the role. However, if the central leadership decides to follow the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh pattern, a low-profile candidate might be chosen. Names like Ashish Shelar, Vinod Tawde, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Chandrakant Patil, and Meghana Bordikar are being discussed in case Fadnavis doesn’t get the nod.

2. Who will be the Deputy CM from the Shiv Sena?

It is likely that the Mahayuti alliance will follow the "One CM + Two Deputy CMs" formula. While the BJP is set to retain the CM’s post, the two Deputy CM positions will likely be allocated to the Shiv Sena and the NCP. The big question is whether Eknath Shinde will accept the Deputy CM role after serving as CM for two and a half years. In June 2022, Devendra Fadnavis reluctantly accepted a demotion, but it remains unclear if Shinde will do the same. If Shinde decides to stay out of the government, probable candidates from his party for the post include Srikant Shinde, Uday Samant, and Shambhuraje Desai.

3. What has the BJP offered the Shiv Sena in lieu of the CM post?

In politics, every decision comes with calculated gains. A key question now is what Shinde’s party has negotiated in exchange for giving up the CM’s post. Will his party gain more berths in the union and state cabinets? Will they secure key portfolios?

4. How many berths will each constituent of the Mahayuti get in the cabinet?

Given its significant number of seats, the BJP is expected to have the largest share of ministerial berths, followed by the Shiv Sena and NCP. Typically, coalition governments use a formula where one ministerial berth is allotted for every X number of MLAs. The value of X is yet to be determined.

5. Which party will get the speaker's post?

Traditionally, the single largest party in a coalition gets the Speaker’s post. However, there are precedents where leaders from the second-largest party have held the position. During the MVA tenure, Nana Patole, from the alliance's second-largest party, served as Speaker. Each party strives to place its MLA in the Speaker’s chair to gain an edge during legislative crises.

Most of these questions are expected to be answered by the coming weekend.